A playback mode for going back a prescribed time interval to play back recorded data of, for example, a television program while recording the program on a recording medium is widely used as a time-shifted playback mode. Time-shifted playback is a mode of playback that starts playback of an already recorded program from the start of the program and uses double-speed reproduction with sound to chase the real-time broadcast, and is therefore also referred to as “chase playback.” In time-shifted playback, the user can, while recording a received broadcast signal onto a recording medium, play back and view at the user's desired speed (for example, fast-forward or slow-motion playback) or, as necessary, repeat playback and viewing of specific points. As a result, this mode provides a viewing environment that affords the user a great degree of freedom.
As a broadcast signal-providing device of the related art, a method has been considered for, upon the detection of an incoming call in a mobile telephone when a television function is in operation, implementing a process for starting a recording operation and holding the recording starting point and then starting a playback operation from the recording starting point upon termination of the conversation on the mobile telephone (for example, JP-A-2005-223778). In this configuration, when television viewing is interrupted by an incoming telephone call or the arrival of a guest, the user can still return to the point of interruption and view the missed program.
In addition, a method has been considered in which, in a portable telephone having a television reception function, a control unit executes a process for storing the received broadcast signal in a storage means upon input of a signal of the start of a conversation and executes a process for playing back the broadcast signal that was stored in the storage means upon input of a signal indicating the end of the conversation (for example, JP-A-2005-117149). In this type of configuration, even when there is an incoming call from the telephone of an acquaintance, when the user is viewing a television program on a portable telephone, the user can resume viewing of the stored television program once the conversation (communication) with the acquaintance ends.
As described above, the broadcast signal-providing device of the related art is of a configuration provided with a playback means and recording means for starting recording of a television program by the recoding means upon the occurrence of an event that interrupts television viewing such as the start of a conversation and such as playing back the recorded data by the playback means from the point of interruption when the event ends. By means of this configuration, viewing can be easily resumed by returning to the point of interruption. However, a broadcast signal-providing means of this type has several problems as described below.
First, in the device of the related art, the broadcast signal is merely recorded on the recording medium in the order recorded and the information (content) then played back with a time shift in the order received, and even when traffic congestion information, weather information, or event information for which there is a need for immediacy (information that should be viewed immediately) is included in the broadcast signal, this information is similarly time-shifted. The problem therefore arises that the viewer is unable to immediately view information demanding immediate attention. In particular, when the viewer replays content or temporarily halts playback and thereby increases the time shift of the time difference between the time of recording and the time of playback, the viewing of information such as weather information that is immediately required is delayed and the possibility arises that the viewer will mistakenly apply the information.
The second problem is that when information that calls for immediacy is viewed with a time shift, changes in conditions that have occurred during the interval of time shift are not reflected. The problem therefore arises that the viewer is provided with information that does not correspond to changes in conditions. For example, when event information having the content that “tickets are still available” is broadcast on television, the viewer, upon viewing this event information with a time shift may be caused to mistakenly believe that tickets are available even though tickets have already been sold out at the time the viewer views the information.
The third problem is that information having a high degree of immediacy (for example, information regarding a typhoon, earthquake, or other event) is often inserted as a flash report into the content of regular broadcasts (during a regular television program), and the insertion of this information into a regular broadcast interferes with the ambience of the content of the regular broadcast. Even though information having a high degree of immediacy is information that must be provided to the viewer immediately and must therefore be inserted into a regular broadcast, the interference with the ambiance of a program resulting from viewing information that has already lost newness when viewing content that has undergone a time shift is an inconvenience for the viewer.